Kimiko Ikegami
When the clock's hand turns into a knife, parent-child bonds are torn!
Kota Mizutani, a 10-year-old boy whose health worsened after he saw a murder, is brought to Akiko's clinic by his mother Mariko. Kota says that two months ago, he witnessed a man in a park strangling a woman with a cord and was chased by the man afterwards. Hamada, who listens to his story along with Akiko, immediately performs an investigation but cannot find any traces of the crime. However, Kota's testimony gains credence when the body of a woman killed two months before is discovered on a construction site in Kawagoe. Acting on a tip from a citizen who says she had been wearing the same clothes as the victim, the police search the house of Kazuko Shimazaki, a photographer who is often absent. But when Kazuko returns from her trip with her assistant Hirano, it becomes clear the victim is a different person.
Tamura Masakazu returns as Nemuri Kyoshiro for the fourth and final time. Gensai, an eccentric Ukiyoe artist, urgently requests Kyoshiro to kill his wife. He believes that the moment she is killed will represent the ultimate state of beauty, and wishes to see Kyoshiro's signature “Engetsu Sappo” (“Full Moon Cut”) killing technique for the purpose. But this unusual request comes not only from Gensai, but also his wife, Orin, who has a tie to Kyoshiro's past. Meanwhile, Tenzen wants to hire Kyoshiro as their master sword instructor for the Kurume Clan, whose lord has an unhealthy obsession with Kyoshiro and his Engetsu Sappo…
Sakai Nobunari an Elder in 'Honmaru' (or the main enclosure) and Mizuno Tadakuni an Elder in 'Nishinomaru' (or the south-east enclosure) have been at odds behind the scenes over the marriage of Tokugawa Ieyoshi, heir to the Shogunate. Kyoshiro, who has come back in Edo after 3 years is involved in it against his will. It's because he gets to know Lady Mihoyo who is a spy for Sakai and looks exactly like his late mother. As she couldn't complete her mission she has nowhere to go. Kyoshiro shelters her from both parties that seek her life. The original story is from "Nemuri Kyoshiro Burai Hikae" written by Shibata Renzaburo. Not only is one of Japan's greatest legends kept alive, but some secrets of Kyoshiro's past are finally revealed for the first time.
One day poison is discovered in the shogun's food. The brilliant swordsman Mondo sets out to save Japan's leader from certain death.
In a maelstrom of evil, can a new magistrate, samurai Mochizuki Koheita, with a reputation like an alley cat, bring order to the town of Horisoto, or is he, too a corrupt villain looking to gain wealth from the oppressed people? From the pen of famed samurai author Yamamoto Shugoro, this exciting tale turns the tables on the standard samurai story with a unique lead character previously portrayed in Ichikawa Kon’s “Dora Heita.”
The classic tale of the shogun's illegitimate son Aoi Shingo is told in three parts as he strives to become the greatest fencer in Japan, while his father Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune seeks to reunite with his lost son. When the secrets of Shingo's birth are revealed to him, it sets off a series of events that bring him to cross swords with members of the shogun's inner circle in a series of duels that could change the destiny of Japan.
Set in the Taisho era, which might be regarded as Japan's Hippie Phase, Hana no ran is a story about fashionable people without impulse control. Much of the action centers on a popular woman writer, the real-life poet Akiko Yosano, and her experiences among the literati of early 20th century Japan. Because of her independent, anti-war and often erotic poetry, she was a lightning rod for revolutionaries and other extremists, many of whom were destined to glamorous, yet ultimately pointless, deaths. The closest parallels might be the Byron/Shelley group or the people drawn to the Beat Generation.
Byakkotai was part of Aizu's four-unit military, set up in the domain's drive to finalize its military modernization, in the wake of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. The other three units were Genbutai, Seiryūtai, and Suzakutai. Each of the four was named after the protecting gods of compass directions. Byakkotai was meant to be a reserve unit, as it was composed of the young teenage 16 to 17 year old sons of Aizu samurai in a group around 350, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869)
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza. Momokawa was sold to Yokiro at age 12, and despite being the top geisha, her many complicated relationships provide unending challenges throughout her glamorous but turbulent life.
Yoshiko Konno went on a winter trip in a car driven by her fiance, Yoichi Itokawa, but got lost due to a blizzard and arrived at a mountain cottage in the depths of a grove. They decide to rent a room. After greeting several men and women sitting by the fireplace, they enter the bedroom. In the middle of the night, Yoshiko woke up and, hearing a woman's voice from the next room, left the room to see what was going on...
Rennyo was the key figure responsible for the restoration of Shin Buddhism in Japan, in particular the Honganji lineage that had a slump in its fortunes during the Middle Ages. According to the legend, his motivation was a pivotal childhood incident at the age of six when his mother summoned him and told him about his destiny to revive the fortunes of the Honganji school to which he was the next in line. She then mysteriously disappeared from the temple. Taking her words to heart, from a background of great poverty and hardship, at the age of 16 he set out to spread the word across the land.
A high-school teacher builds an atomic bomb to hold Tokyo hostage, then cannot decide what he wants.
Kanno (Ken Takakura) is a Yakuza. He had to kill Matsuoka who betrayed their boss. Kanno knew Matsuoka had a 3-year-old daughter named Youko. Before he gave himself to the police, he asked his trusted man to take care of her. While in prison, Kanno kept sending letters to Youko, disguising as an uncle in Brazil. 15 years later, Kanno is released. He is determined to live legitimately, however... the Yakuza has not forgotten his wicked deed!
Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip to the country to visit her aunt at their ancestral house. She invites her six friends, Prof, Melody, Mac, Fantasy, Kung Fu, and Sweet, to join her. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.
